Die roll for forming soft gel capsules

ABSTRACT

A die roll may be used to form soft gel capsules via rotary encapsulation. The die roll may include a plurality of cavities. At least one cavity includes a cavity length, and the die roll includes a first die surface provided along a first portion of the cavity length and a second die surface provided along a second portion of the cavity length. The second die surface may be elevated relative to the first die surface.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Pat. ApplicationNo. 63/265,660, filed on Dec. 17, 2021, and entitled DIE ROLL FORFORMING SOFT GEL CAPSULES, and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Pat.Application No. 63/369,097, filed on Jul. 22, 2022, and entitled DIEROLL FOR FORMING SOFT GEL CAPSULES, both of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to soft gel capsules, and more particularly torotary encapsulation die rolls and associated systems and methods forencapsulating fill material in soft gel capsules.

BACKGROUND

Rotary encapsulation die rolls can be used to encapsulate fill materialin soft gel capsules. Two of the main quality issues that occur duringencapsulation of soft gel capsules are poor sealing strength and crookedsealing (pinched sealing when at extreme). Both of those can result inleaking of the enclosed fill material.

SUMMARY

Embodiments covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, notthis summary. This summary is a high-level overview of variousembodiments and introduces some of the concepts that are furtherdescribed in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is notintended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subjectmatter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine thescope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should beunderstood by reference to appropriate portions of the entirespecification of this patent, any or all drawings, and each claim.

Described herein is a new die roll design for reducing and/or minimizingnegative results that otherwise can be caused by inconsistentformulations, imprecise operating parameters, and/or human error. Theinventive die roll design described herein lesses or prevents soft gelcapsules leakage as compared to soft gel capsules made from conventionaldie roll designs. The die rolls described herein maximize the leadingand trailing seam (relatively). The inventive die rolls reduce and/orprevent crooked corner sealing (pinched corner sealing when at extreme)and improve sealing strength. In certain embodiments, the inventive dieroll designs described herein help prevent or reduce crooked sealing andpinched corner sealing (both crooked and pinched corner sealing occurswhen there are insufficient room for gel ribbon during encapsulation;pinched corner sealing occurring at even thicker gel ribbon) and promotestronger sealing in comparison to the conventional design. The improvedsealing may help prevent insufficient quality that may result from otherquality issues.

Various implementations described in the present disclosure can includeadditional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which cannotnecessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detaileddescription and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all suchsystems, methods, features, and advantages be included within thepresent disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The specification makes reference to the following appended figures, inwhich use of like reference numerals in different figures is intended toillustrate like or analogous components.

FIG. 1 is a photograph of a portion of a die roll according toembodiments.

FIG. 2 is another photograph of the die roll of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a schematic of a portion of a die roll according toembodiments.

FIGS. 4A-B are sectional views of a cavity of a die roll according toembodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic of a portion of a die roll according toembodiments showing two adjacent cavities.

FIG. 6 is a schematic of a portion of a die roll according toembodiments.

FIG. 7 is a schematic of a die roll in use according to embodiments.

FIG. 8A illustrates a sample of capsules formed using a die rollaccording to embodiments.

FIG. 8B illustrates a sample of capsules formed using a conventional dieroll.

FIGS. 9, 10, 11 and 12 illustrates leading and trailing seam of acapsules formed using die roll of FIG. 1 or a conventional die, but atdifferent relative gel ribbon thickness in relation to the standard gelribbon thickness the dies have been designed to encapsulate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Described herein are improved die rolls for encapsulating a fillmaterial in soft gel capsules. In certain embodiments, the die rollsprovided herein may produce soft gel capsules with improved sealing andsealing strength compared to traditional die rolls. Various otherbenefits and advantages may be realized with the systems and methodsprovided herein, and the aforementioned advantages should not beconsidered limiting.

FIGS. 1-6 illustrate a die roll 100 according to various embodiments.The die roll 100 generally includes a first die surface 102, a seconddie surface 104, and one or more cavities 106. In various embodimentsand as discussed in detail below, the second die surface 104 is elevatedrelative to the first die surface 102. For comparison, in a conventionaldie roll design, the distance from the land surface to the outer diesurface is equal around the cavity.

Each cavity 106 has a cavity wall 108 with a surface or land 110 that iselevated relative to both the first die surface 102 and the second diesurface 104. Referring to FIG. 3 , the cavity 106 may have a shape thatis symmetrical about both a lateral axis 103 and a longitudinal axis 105of the cavity 106. Non-limiting examples of shapes of the cavity 106 maybe oval, round, etc. In the embodiment illustrated, the cavity 106 is anelongated shape such that the cavity wall 108 includes side portions 112and end portions 114. The side portions 112 may be the leading andtrailing portions of the cavity 106 as the die roll 100 is rotated (see,e.g., FIG. 7 ), and the end portions 114 may be corners, sides, or othertransition portions between the leading and trailing side portions 112of the cavity 106. Reference to the portions 112 as “side” portions andsimilarly reference to the portions 114 as “end” portions should not beconsidered limiting or intending to require any particular shape of thecavities 106; rather, such terms are used to merely distinguishdifferent regions or portions of the cavity wall 108.

Referring briefly to FIG. 7 , during an encapsulation process of with acavity and sealing of a softgel capsule 705, as gelatin ribbons 701 arecast and eventually pass in between the die rolls 100, the balance ofthe injection wedge assembly 703, the die rolls 100, and coated gelatinribbons 701 may prevent or minimize external sources (such as but notlimited to air) from entering. The gel ribbons 701 continue to move asthe drum, rollers and die rolls 100 rotate, and the balance between thecomponents allows space in between the ribbons 701 and the wedges 703 atthe injection point to be enclosed tightly. Filling of a capsule maystart before a leading seam starts sealing. The leading seam forms asthe gel is extruded towards inside the cavity as the die rotates (e.g.,the leading seam is formed between side portions 112 on the die rolls100). The trailing seam of a capsule (e.g., formed between the next setof side portions 112) may seal after the fill is injected into thecavity, but the gel does not seal inward the cavity in degree as donefor the leading seam.

The pinched sealing traditionally occurs usually on the edge/corner ofthe seam right before the transition of the leading seam to trailingseam. Such pinched sealing may be because at high gel ribbon thickness,the amount of gel may highly exceed the amount needed for sealing;therefore, even after the leading seam seals there may be excess gelwhich inhibits proper sealing. According to embodiments of theinvention, the end portions 114 provide additional room for excess gelat the corners, sides, or transitions of the capsules 705. In otherwords, the first die surface 102 on the corner will be lower than thesecond die surface 104 of the side that leads and trails the capsulesealing. Such features may be used with any cavity shape as desired andis not limited to cavities with narrower sides of the cavity not beingthe corner side nor to dies with special cavity shapes.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 , the end portions 114 may havea curvature as illustrated in FIG. 3 , for example, and the sideportions 112 may be generally planar or linear. In such embodiments, theside portions 112 may be substantially parallel to each other (i.e., theside portions 112 may be long parallel sections of the walls 108).However, as mentioned, in other embodiments, the cavity 106 may be othershapes as desired that are symmetrical about the lateral axis 103 andthe longitudinal axis 105.

In various embodiments and as illustrated in FIG. 6 , each cavity has anoverall length A, which is a distance between the outer edges of the endportions 114. The overall length A illustrated should not be consideredlimiting, an in various embodiments the overall length A may be lengthsgreater than or less than what is illustrated in FIG. 6 . The cavities106 may have various depths as desired, and the depths illustrated inFIGS. 1-6 should not be considered limiting.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 3-6 , the second (elevated) die surface 104may be provided adjacent to the side portions 112 of the cavities 106,and the first die surface 102 may be provided adjacent to the endportions 114 of the cavities 106. As mentioned, the cavities 106 may beother shapes as desired and is not limited to the cavities illustratedin FIGS. 3-6 .

In certain embodiments, and as illustrated in FIGS. 4A-B, a first height118 may be measured from the first die surface 102 to the land 110, anda second height 120 may be measured from the second die surface 104 tothe land 110.

The second height 120 is less than the first height 118 according toembodiments of the disclosure. In certain embodiments, the relativedifference in depth and actual depth of the first height 118 and secondheight 120 may be adjusted or otherwise controlled based on a standardgelatin ribbon thickness that the die roll 100 has been designed toutilize when the die is used as a tooling for encapsulation. In onenon-limiting embodiment, the second height 120 may be about 0.15 mm lessthan the first height 118, although in other embodiments the differencebetween the heights 118, 120 may be as otherwise desired. In fact, therelation is dependent on the standard target gel ribbon thickness thatthe die roll is designed for when utilized as a tooling forencapsulation. It thus should be understood that the specific dimensionsshown are for one specific non-limiting embodiment and are not intendedto limit the invention. For example, in some embodiments, the secondheight 120 is at a normal land to outer die roll surface height and thefirst height 118 is slightly deeper than the second height 120. In otherembodiments, the first height 118 is at a normal land to outer die rollsurface height and the second height 120 is slightly shallower than thefirst height 118. This difference between heights 118, 120 givessufficient room for thick gelatin ribbon to seal without forming crookedseam sealing. This is true, even when the gelatin ribbon is much thickerthan the target thickness that the die roll is designed to utilize ifthe second height 120 is uniform around the cavity 106. The die roll 100design makes the relevant point at which the occupied amount of gelaffects the corner sealing at a much greater gelatin ribbon thickness.As mentioned, the relative heights 118, 120 may be different and/orotherwise controlled to utilize various sized ribbons as desired.

In certain embodiments, and as best illustrated in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6 ,transition surfaces 122 may be provided between the first die surface102 and the second die surface 104. The transition surfaces may beprovided at various slopes or angles relative to the first die surface102 and/or the second die surface 104 as desired. The transitionsurfaces 122 as such may have various lengths as desired. In onenon-limiting embodiment, a length of each transition surface 122 along aparticular cavity 106 may be from about 0.1 mm to about 2 mm; however,in other embodiments, the transition surfaces 122 may have other lengthsas desired.

In various embodiments, and as illustrated in FIG. 6 , a length B may bea length of the elevated surfaces (e.g., the second die surface 104and/or the transition surfaces 122) along the cavities 106. A length Cmay be a length of the first (non-elevated) die surface 102 along thecavities 106. The length B and the length C together are equal to theoverall length A of the cavity 106. In some embodiments, the length Bmay be about 60% to about 80% the overall length A, and the length C maybe about 10% to about 20% the overall length A. In various embodiments,the length B may allow for additional gelatin at the elevated surfacesto be extruded inward during encapsulation, resulting in smoother andstronger sealing.

Referring to FIG. 5 , a distance 124 between the the end portions 114 ofadjacent cavities 106 is narrower than conventional die roll designs.Resultantly, the volume and cross-sectional area of the second diesurface 104 in between different cavities 106 are narrower/smaller forthe inventive die roll than for a conventional die roll design. Thenarrower space between adjacent cavities 106 provides less room at thesealing point for gel to push out and collect. The narrower spacebetween adjacent cavities 106 also provides stronger sealing thanconventional die rolls by promoting extrusion of gel when sealing.

Referring to FIG. 7 , during an ecapsulation process, gel ribbons 701and a fill material 703 are fed between adjacent die rolls 100 to formthe soft gel capsule 705. As the gel ribbons 701 approaches the centerpoint, fill injection occurs. During this process, the beginning sealingwhich seals (usually) after the fill startes to inject is the leadingseam, and the trail end sealing after all fill is injected and thuscompleting the fill encapsulation is the trailing seam.

The inventive die roll 100 design reduces or eliminates crooked orpinched corner seams that result due to the excess of gel between thecorners of the die roll cavities 106 in relation to the respectivesealing parameter of the cavities 106 resulting in a smooth sealing.Conventional die roll designs include a single outer die surface aroundthe cavity and thus the distance from the land 110 to the outer diesurface is equal around the cavity. In such conventional die rolldesigns, crooked or pinched seam sealing can result from using thickerribbon than intended for the die roll 100 design. When the ribbonthickness is much thicker than that intended for the die roll design,there will be insufficient room at the corners for the gelatin to sealproperly. The excess amount of gel present at the corners interfereswith the sealing in that area, resulting in unsmooth sealing whichresults in crooked seam and eventually pinched seam sealing as theexcess gel amount increases. The ratio between the respective sealingarea in relation to the amount of gel occupying the area between thecavities decreases as gelatin ribbon thickness decreases; therefore, theaforementioned issue does not occur when the utilized gelatin ribbon isthinner or at a die roll design’s recommended maximum gelatin ribbonthickness. Although same applies for the inventive die, its designallows higher tolerance of ribbon thickness above the design’srecommended maximum gel ribbon thickness.

In the case of the long second die surface 104 between adjacent cavities106 and having the reduced distance 124, the area between the sideportions 112 of adjacent cavities 106 is much smaller in volume as inrelation to the corner and in relation to the relative parameter of thecapsule sealing that they occupy, and the aforementioned problem for thecorner sealing does not apply. At a range of the usual gelatin ribbonthickness utilized during encapsulation, the gelatin ribbons are able tobe push inward and seal during the encapsulation process on the longside portions 112 without trouble.

The basic concept of the design for improving sealing strength is shownin FIG. 5 . As explained earlier, unlike the corner, which needsadditional volume to prevent pinched seam sealing when there is a highratio of gelatin ribbon around the die roll in relation to therespective sealing area, the same is not applicable for the adjacent(usually symmetrical, sometimes parallel) base. Thus, for conventionaldie rolls and as illustrated in FIG. 10 , when the utilized ribbonthickness is reasonably thick, it creates a thick leading seam andlikely an acceptable trailing seam, but due to insufficient room on thecorner results in crooked or even pinched sealing. When the utilizedribbon thickness is the standard that the die is designed for, althoughnot noticeably thick, it creates reasonable seam without crooked orpinched sealing on the corner. When the utilized ribbon thickness isreasonably thin, both the leading and trailing seam may becomenoticeably weak (see, e.g., FIG. 12 ), as there is not enough gelatin topush inward to form the seam. Unlike the leading sealing, where gel isextruded towards inside the cavity when sealing, gel is not pushedtoward the cavity when the trailing sealing occurs, resulting in aweaker seam as compared to the leading seam.

The distance 124 between the symmetrical and/or parallel portions ofcavity lands 110 of adjacent cavities 106, and resultantly the volumeand cross-sectional area of the long second (elevated) die surface 104between adjacent cavities 106 are narrower/smaller for the inventive dieroll 100 described herein as compared to a conventional die roll design.This allows formation of a sufficiently thick leading seam at lowerribbon thickness (see, e.g., FIG. 11 ) than a conventional die roll andcomparably even a thicker trailing seam (see, e.g., FIG. 11 ). Thedesign also allows for a thicker leading and trailing seam if theutilized ribbon thickness is the standard that the die is designed for(see, e.g., FIG. 10 ) as if utilizing a ribbon reasonably thicker thanthe standard thickness designed for a conventional die utilized forencapsulation without resulting in crooked seam or pinched seam on thecorners. In fact, the design expands the limit of thickness over thedesigned thickness standard at which crooked or pinched sealing beginsto appear, allowing even stronger leading sealing before crooked orpinched sealing begins appearing on the corner (see, e.g., FIG. 9 ) Theexample figures discussed below show the expected results of the ringsample of a product seam when conventional or the proposed design isutilized at different gelatin ribbon thickness. Based on the concepts ofthe design, the proposed design allows for a higher and lower limit ofgelatin ribbon above and below the standard ribbon thickness at whichthe utilized die is designed where a product can seal robustly orreasonably robustly without outlining cosmetic or quality defects on theencapsulated product.

EXAMPLES

The following procedure was followed:

-   1. Select a product fit for the comparison analysis:-   2. Encapsulate about half of tray of products using each die roll    design at gelatin ribbon thickness reasonable thicker than the    standard gelatin ribbon thickness that the utilized die is designed    for.-   3. Directly receive and spread capsules on tray without tumble    drying and air dry in drying room until fully dried.-   4. Visually analyze the appearance of the capsules and verify if a    pinched seam sealing has formed on the capsule corner.-   5. Summarize and conclude results.

Referring to FIGS. 8A-B, ribbon thickness was set reasonably above thestandard the utilized dies are designed to utilize to verify both thesealing performance of the two die roll designs and if either samplegroup encapsulated using each of the two die rolls have presence ofcrooked or pinched seam sealing at their corner.

FIG. 8A illustrates capsules 805 formed using the die roll 100 and FIG.8B illustrates capsules 815 formed using a conventional die roll andusing gel ribbons at identical gel ribbon thickness reasonable thickerthan the standard that the two dies are designed to utilize. Both theconventional and die roll 100 utilized for the comparison analysis aredesigned to utilized identical standard gelatin ribbon thickness.

As mentioned earlier, FIGS. 9, 10, 11 and 12 illustrates leading andtrailing seam of capsules formed using die roll of FIG. 1 (die roll 100)or a conventional die, but at a different relative gel ribbon thicknessin relation to standard gel ribbon thickness the dies have been designedto encapsulate. Amongst the figures, FIG. 9 corresponds to therepresentative sample of a ring sample of capsules 805 with leading seam807 and trailing seam 809, and FIG. 10 corresponds to the representativesample of a ring sample of capsules 815 with leading seam 817 andtrailing seam 819.

As illustrated by these examples prepared with a thick gelatin ribbon,it can be seen that the trailing seams 809, 819 sealing of both theinventive die roll and the conventional die roll are robust and both dierolls formed a seam that folded toward the inside of the softgel. Also,the trailing seams provided by both designs are acceptable. From theevaluation of the ring sample, it can be seen that the inventive dieroll design at least is equivalent to the conventional die roll withregard to seam thickness when encapsulating product at the testedgelatin ribbon thickness. However, referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B,although crooked or pinched sealing is not present on capsulesencapsulated utilizing the inventive die (see, e.g. FIG. 8A), bothcrooked and pinched sealing are present on capsules encapsulated usingthe conventional die (see, e.g. FIG. 8B). From the evaluation of thecapsule sample, it can be seen that the inventive die roll design hasproven that it has higher limits in utilzing gelatin ribbon above thestandard gelatin ribbon thickness that it has been designed to utilizebefore forming crooked or pinched sealing on the encapsulated capsule’scorners.

Similarly, FIGS. 11 and 12 corresponds to the conceptual sealingperformance of the two die roll designs (die roll 100 and conventionaldie roll), if a product was selected and ribbon thickness was setreasonably below the standard gelatin ribbon thickness the two die rollsare designed to utilize.

FIG. 11 corresponds to a representative sample of ring sample withleading seam 1107 and trailing seam 1109 of a capsule 1105 formed usingthe die roll 100, and FIG. 12 corresponds to a representative sample ofring sample with leading seam 1117 and trailing seam 1119 of a capsule1115 formed using a conventional die roll and using gel ribbons having aribbon thickness reasonable below the standard that the two dies aredesigned to utilize. As illustrated by these examples corresponding towhen the two dies are prepared with lower ribbon thickness, theinventive die roll will provide both leading and trailing seamequivalent to 1107 and 1109 much stronger that the seams 1117 and 1119expected for the conventional die roll. Considering all of the resultsand concept, the inventive die roll provides results equivalent to orbetter than the conventional die roll, and the inventive die rollprovides better sealing at the lower gelatin ribbon thickness.

A collection of exemplary embodiments is provided below, including atleast some explicitly enumerated as “Embodiments” providing additionaldescription of a variety of example embodiments in accordance with theconcepts described herein. These embodiments are not meant to bemutually exclusive, exhaustive, or restrictive; and the disclosure notlimited to these example embodiments but rather encompasses all possiblemodifications and variations within the scope of the issued claims andtheir equivalents.

Embodiment 1. A die roll for rotary encapsulation, the die rollcomprising: a cavity comprising a land; a first die surface adjacent toa first portion of the cavity; and a second die surface adjacent to asecond portion of the cavity, wherein the land is elevated above thefirst die surface and the second die surface, and wherein a distancebetween the land to the first die surface is different from a distancebetween the land and the second die surface.

Embodiment 2. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein the cavity is a firstcavity, and wherein the die roll comprises a second cavity adjacent tothe first cavity, and wherein at least the second die surface is betweenthe first cavity and the second cavity.

Embodiment 3. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein the second cavitycomprises a land, and wherein the second die surface is between adjacentparallel portions of the land of the first cavity and the land of thesecond cavity.

Embodiment 4. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein the distance betweenthe land to the first die surface is greater than the distance betweenthe land and the second die surface.

Embodiment 5. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein the land comprisesend portions and side portions, wherein the side portions extendparallel to each other.

Embodiment 6. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein the second diesurface is adjacent to the side portions and the first die surface isadjacent to the end portions.

Embodiment 7. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein the cavity comprisesa cavity length, wherein the first die surface is provided along a firstportion of the cavity length, wherein the second portion is providedalong a second portion of the cavity length, and wherein a length of thesecond portion is greater than a length of the first portion.

Embodiment 8. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, further comprising atransition surface between the first die surface and the second diesurface, wherein the transition surface extends at an oblique anglerelative to the first die surface and the second die surface.

Embodiment 9. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein the transitionsurface is planar.

Embodiment 10. A method of forming a soft gel capsule, the methodcomprising feeding gel ribbons and a fill material between adjacent dierolls, wherein each die roll is a die roll of any of the preceding orsubsequent embodiments or combination of embodiments.

Embodiment 11. A soft gel capsule formed by the method of any of thepreceding or subsequent embodiments or combination of embodiments.

Embodiment 12. A die roll for rotary encapsulation, the die rollcomprising: a cavity comprising a cavity length; a first die surfaceprovided along a first portion of the cavity length; and a second diesurface provided along a second portion of the cavity length, whereinthe second die surface is elevated relative to the first die surface,and wherein a length of the second portion is greater than a length ofthe first portion.

Embodiment 13. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein the cavity comprisesa cavity wall comprising side portions and end portions, wherein thesecond die surface is provided adjacent to the side portions of thecavity wall and the first die surface is provided adjacent to the endportions of the cavity wall.

Embodiment 14. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, further comprising atransition surface extending between the first die surface and thesecond die surface, wherein the transition surface is sloped from thefirst die surface to the second die surface.

Embodiment 15. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein the cavity is a firstcavity of a plurality of cavities, and wherein each cavity of theplurality of cavities comprises the cavity length, the first die surfaceprovided along the first portion of the cavity length, and the seconddie surface provided along the second portion of the cavity length.

Embodiment 16. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein the cavity is a firstcavity, wherein the die roll further comprises a second cavity adjacentto the first cavity, wherein each of the first cavity and the secondcavity comprise a cavity wall, and wherein a portion of the cavity wallof the first cavity is parallel to a portion of the cavity wall of thesecond cavity along identical axis, and wherein the parallel portions ofthe cavity walls are adjacent to each other.

Embodiment 17. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein the second diesurface is between the adjacent parallel portions of the cavity walls.

Embodiment 18. The die roll of any of the preceding or subsequentembodiments or combination of embodiments, wherein a difference inheight between the first die surface and the second die surface is about0.15 mm.

Embodiment 19. A method of forming a soft gel capsule, the methodcomprising feeding gel ribbons and a fill material between adjacent dierolls, wherein each die roll is a die roll of any of the preceding orsubsequent embodiments or combination of embodiments.

Embodiment 20. A soft gel capsule formed by the method of any of thepreceding or subsequent embodiments or combination of embodiments.

Embodiment 21. A die roll for rotary encapsulation, the die rollcomprising: a first cavity and a second cavity adjacent to the firstcavity, wherein each of the first cavity and the second cavity comprisea cavity wall, and wherein a portion of the cavity wall of the firstcavity is parallel to a portion of the cavity wall of the second cavityalong identical axis, and wherein the parallel portions of the cavitywalls are adjacent to each other; a first die surface; and a second diesurface, wherein the second die surface is between the adjacent parallelportions of the cavity walls, and wherein the second die surface iselevated relative to the first die surface.

Embodiment 22. A soft gel capsule formed using the die roll of any ofany of the preceding or subsequent embodiments or combination ofembodiments.

Embodiment 23. A method of forming soft gel capsules, the methodcomprising: feeding gel ribbons and a fill material between adjacent dierolls, wherein each die roll comprises a plurality of cavities, a firstdie surface, and a second die surface that is elevated rlative to thefirst die surface.

The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of thedescribed embodiments can be used separately or in any combination. Inparticular, it should be appreciated that the various elements ofconcepts from the figures may be combined without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. Directional references such as “up,” “down,” “top,” “bottom,”“left,” “right,” “front,” and “back,” among others, are intended torefer to the orientation as illustrated and described in the figure (orfigures) to which the components and directions are referencing. Theterms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to beconstrued as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limitedto,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein aremerely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individuallyto each separate value falling within the range, or gradients thereof,unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value isincorporated into the specification as if it were individually recitedherein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitableorder unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplarylanguage (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to betterilluminate embodiments of the invention, and does not pose a limitationon the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language inthe specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimedelement as essential to the practice of the invention.

As used herein, the term “substantially” refers to the complete ornearly complete extent or degree of an action, characteristic, property,state, structure, item, or result. For example, an object that is“substantially” enclosed would mean that the object is either completelyenclosed or nearly completely enclosed. The exact allowable degree ofdeviation from absolute completeness may in some cases depend on thespecific context. However, the nearness of completion will be so as tohave the same overall result as if absolute and total completion wereobtained. As used herein, the term “about” refers to +/- 5% of anindicated value or endpoints of an indicated range.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Theinvention is susceptible to various modifications and alternativeconstructions, and certain shown exemplary embodiments thereof are shownin the drawings and have been described above in detail. Variations ofthose preferred embodiments, within the spirit of the present invention,may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon readingthe foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans toemploy such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for theinvention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically describedherein. Accordingly, it should be understood that there is no intentionto limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but onthe contrary, this invention includes all modifications and equivalentsof the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permittedby applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-describedelements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by theinvention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the describedembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe specific details are not required in order to practice the describedembodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodimentsare presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the described embodiments to theprecise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill inthe art that many modifications and variations are possible in view ofthe above teachings.

That which is claimed:
 1. A die roll for rotary encapsulation, the dieroll comprising: a cavity comprising a land; a first die surfaceadjacent to a first portion of the cavity; and a second die surfaceadjacent to a second portion of the cavity, wherein the land is elevatedabove the first die surface and the second die surface, and wherein adistance between the land to the first die surface is different from adistance between the land and the second die surface.
 2. The die roll ofclaim 1, wherein the cavity is a first cavity, and wherein the die rollcomprises a second cavity adjacent to the first cavity, and wherein atleast the second die surface is between the first cavity and the secondcavity.
 3. The die roll of claim 2, wherein the second cavity comprisesa land, and wherein the second die surface is between adjacent parallelportions of the land of the first cavity and the land of the secondcavity.
 4. The die roll of claim 1, wherein the distance between theland to the first die surface is greater than the distance between theland and the second die surface.
 5. The die roll of claim 1, wherein theland comprises end portions and side portions, wherein the side portionsextend parallel to each other.
 6. The die roll of claim 5, wherein thesecond die surface is adjacent to the side portions and the first diesurface is adjacent to the end portions.
 7. The die roll of claim 1,wherein the cavity comprises a cavity length, wherein the first diesurface is provided along a first portion of the cavity length, whereinthe second portion is provided along a second portion of the cavitylength, and wherein a length of the second portion is greater than alength of the first portion.
 8. The die roll of claim 1, furthercomprising a transition surface between the first die surface and thesecond die surface, wherein the transition surface extends at an obliqueangle relative to the first die surface and the second die surface. 9.The die roll of claim 8, wherein the transition surface is planar.
 10. Amethod of forming a soft gel capsule, the method comprising feeding gelribbons and a fill material between adjacent die rolls, wherein each dieroll is a die roll according to claim
 1. 11. A soft gel capsule formedby the method of claim
 10. 12. A die roll for rotary encapsulation, thedie roll comprising: a cavity comprising a cavity length; a first diesurface provided along a first portion of the cavity length; and asecond die surface provided along a second portion of the cavity length,wherein the second die surface is elevated relative to the first diesurface, and wherein a length of the second portion is greater than alength of the first portion.
 13. The die roll of claim 12, wherein thecavity comprises a cavity wall comprising side portions and endportions, wherein the second die surface is provided adjacent to theside portions of the cavity wall and the first die surface is providedadjacent to the end portions of the cavity wall.
 14. The die roll ofclaim 12, further comprising a transition surface extending between thefirst die surface and the second die surface, wherein the transitionsurface is sloped from the first die surface to the second die surface.15. The die roll of claim 12, wherein the cavity is a first cavity of aplurality of cavities, and wherein each cavity of the plurality ofcavities comprises the cavity length, the first die surface providedalong the first portion of the cavity length, and the second die surfaceprovided along the second portion of the cavity length.
 16. The die rollof claim 12, wherein the cavity is a first cavity, wherein the die rollfurther comprises a second cavity adjacent to the first cavity, whereineach of the first cavity and the second cavity comprise a cavity wall,and wherein a portion of the cavity wall of the first cavity is parallelto a portion of the cavity wall of the second cavity along identicalaxis, and wherein the parallel portions of the cavity walls are adjacentto each other.
 17. The die roll of claim 16, wherein the second diesurface is between the adjacent parallel portions of the cavity walls.18. The die roll of claim 12, wherein a difference in height between thefirst die surface and the second die surface is about 0.15 mm.
 19. Amethod of forming a soft gel capsule, the method comprising feeding gelribbons and a fill material between adjacent die rolls, wherein each dieroll is a die roll according to claim
 12. 20. A soft gel capsule formedby the method of claim 19.